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He calls all the shots, he directs everybody, he's the guy that you just don't want to fuck with.

— Steve Jaros, lead writer of Saints Row: The Third

Phillipe is the leader of both The Syndicate and the Morningstar division.[4] He is a tall man of average weight with white hair, and has a habit of chain smoking cigarettes. Wherever he goes, he is frequently accompanied by his two lieutenants and protégées, Viola and Kiki DeWynter. Phillipe has expensive tastes in clothing, wearing a fancy, red and black suit complete with a red scarf around his neck. He has a great deal of money behind him and owns a private Gawalek A36 as well as one or two skyscrapers in the city of Steelport.

Steve Jaros, lead writer of Saints Row: The Third, describes him as "kind of like a Bond villain. He's statuesque and poised and elegant, and he's a total gentleman [...] he's not effeminate [...] and he's not going to play to that European stereotype. He's coldly logical and dangerous and very savvy."[4]

Phillipe Loren is of Belgian origin. The Syndicate began in Europe and featured people of many different nationalities, with few ties to any specific country.[reference?] It expanded to the United States at a later time. While he had a much longer partnership with Kiki DeWynter and Viola DeWynter, having taken them under his wing as proteges, Killbane and Matt Miller were recruited only after they had already built influential gangs of their own.[8]

At the start of the game, Phillipe Loren has The Protagonist, Johnny Gat, and Shaundi bailed out of jail following a failed, botched bank robbery at the Stilwater 1st National Bank.[9] The Saints are restrained and brought aboard Phillipe's private Gawalek A36, bound for Steelport, where he offers to let them live if they agree to the terms he presents them. After Gat and The Protagonist blankly refuse, a firefight breaks out, during which Gat smashes Phillipe's face into a window, ultimately causing permanent damage to his left eye.[1][4][10]

It turns out that The Protagonist has made a powerful enemy in Phillipe, who's far more powerful than those he faced in Stilwater. He's a successful international arms dealer and essentially the leader of the criminal underworld in Steelport.[4]

Shortly after the Saints' arrival in Steelport, Phillipe has to wear an eyepatch to cover his injured eye, and he calls upon the other leading members of The Syndicate: Killbane of the Luchadores and Matt Miller of the Deckers, in destroying their new enemy. Matt is tasked with bankrupting the Saints by hacking into their accounts, and stealing all their money. Killbane is tasked with gathering up his forces, and bringing Phillipe the head of The Protagonist.[1]

While assaulting Phillipe Loren's base of operations at the Syndicate Tower, the Saints meet the giant Oleg Kirrlov, whom the Morningstar is using as a patron to create an army of brutes. Oleg offers to help the Saints take down Phillipe, and they free him from captivity. In the ensuing chaos, Phillipe tries to escape via private elevator. In response, The Protagonist hops onto a large counter-weight in the upper atrium of the building, and has Oleg detach it from the ceiling; riding it all the way down to the parking garage in the basement. As Phillipe walks out of the elevator, he gets crushed beneath the Ball and is killed.[11]

After Phillipe's death, Killbane assumes control of the Syndicate, despite objections from Viola and Kiki DeWynter.[12]

Phillipe Loren is featured in a flashback when Johnny tells his account on how he survived. While fighting Morningstar, Loren fires a machine gun at Johnny but ends up being knocked to the floor by him and punched repeatedly in the face and knocked out. When unconscious, Zinyak arrives and abducts Johnny.[13]

Phillipe smokes a cigarette in both the Power CG trailer,[14] and certain promotional artwork for the game.[reference?]

Unlike many gang leaders, Loren does not have a personalised vehicle.

The Power CG trailer,[14] as well as promotional material for the game, showed Phillipe with brown or dark blonde hair. The Syndication trailer[7] shows him with lighter, almost white hair, and looking much older than earlier appearances.[15]

Despite being advertised as the main antagonist, Phillipe is killed at the end of Act 1. Instead, Killbane takes the role as the main antagonist.

Since he is killed off so early in the story, Phillipe Loren is very much like Hector Lopez from Saints Row. Other similarities include the use of the color red, arms dealing, and an injury sustained to the eye.

During the mission "Zombie Attack", Viola DeWynter reveals that Phillipe had worked with the mayor of Steelport, Burt Reynolds for a number of years. Later in the mission, The Protagonist asks Viola if Phillipe had ever considered running for mayor himself. Viola explains that the job involved too much politics, and that Phillipe figured he wouldn't stand a chance against someone like Burt in a mayoral election campaign.

In Saints Row: The Third, Phillipe only appears in cutscenes, although there is footage of him in Steelport in the Saints Row: The Third launch trailer.[16]

Phillipe is mistakenly referred to as French by multiple characters, when he is actually Belgian and states so, with annoyance in his voice.

In Saints Row: The Third, Phillipe is voiced by Jacques Hennequet, a French-born producer at Volition.

When Burt Reynolds and Viola are both Homies, Burt says: "That Frenchman sure knew how to tell a joke", and Viola responds with "He was Belgian".

This trait is similar to Agatha Christie's detective, Hercule Poirot, who is often referred to as being French, and always protests he is Belgian.

Belgium shares its largest border with France and has many French-speakers. Loren is Wallonian (French-speaking Belgian), although a greater number of Belgians are Flemish (Dutch-speaking Belgian), with a German speaking minority.

Similar to a number of antagonists before and after him: Tanya Winters, Hector Lopez, Warren Williams, Kazuo Akuji, Maero, Shogo Akuji, Dane Vogel, and even Killbane, Phillipe Loren's biggest fault is that he has a huge superiority complex, and supreme arrogance in himself. Both of which cause him to badly underestimate the 3rd Street Saints and their leader. Even after the Saints completely trash the Stilwater 1st National Bank, escape from Phillipe's plane in the most spectacular manner possible, which in the process cost him an eye, and stole a massive bomb from the heavily fortified SNG base at Sierra Point, Phillipe still considers them to be little more than a minor annoyance. That is until after the events of "Party Time" when Matt Miller gives him a cell phone containing some surveillance footage of The Protagonist taking control of a Morningstar-owned penthouse in Sunset Park. Unfortunately by that time, it is already too late.

Phillipe stabs someone in the stomach twice. The first time is the bouncer in the Power trailer[14] and Johnny Gat.[1]

Despite being the leader of an entire Syndicate, Phillipe Loren has done the least amount of damage to the 3rd Street Saints compared to any other major antagonist in the series.

Phillipe bails the Saints out of jail before kidnapping them, stabs Johnny Gat with a knife and later attempts to shoot him, and gives orders to have The Syndicate go to war with the Saints.[1][13] Other than that, he himself does little to stop them.

The retaliatory killing of Loren is a common theme in the series: All characters who are involved in the death of Saints allies are killed retaliation mid-way through the story, which in turn angers the surviving members of their gang.

The Saints Row website fraudulently attributes Viola DeWynter's line "It is always about the money, Mr. Gat." to Loren.[17][18]

Like it or not, Mr. Gat, our organization is expanding into Stilwater. I am offering you the chance to leverage your assets against your lives. Ladies?

— Phillipe before Viola and Kiki show the percentage of money that the Syndicate will get from the Saints/Ultor media group's monthly gross revenues in exchange for their lives.

Gentlemen, negotiations were... less than successful. ...Viola and Kiki will spread the word: Steelport belongs to the Syndicate, and the Saints are not welcome. Mr. Killbane, gather your Luchadores and bring me their leader's head. Mr. Miller, hack into the Saints' accounts, and leave them nothing.

Although he is not unlocked as a Homie in the game, the files contain Homie Conversations for Phillipe in Saints Row IV.

Gat and Phillipe

Phillipe: "It's a pleasure to see you again, Monsieur Gat."Johnny Gat: "You know, if you'd just left us alone in Stilwater, your Syndicate would have lasted a lot longer."Phillipe: "And if you'd taken our offer on the plane, you might not have been captured and kept in your own personal mental prison."Johnny Gat: "Trust me, that wasn't half as bad as being forced to work side by side with your smug ass right now."Phillipe: "I did not make the decision to put us together, Monsieur Gat."Johnny Gat: "You're right, it's like someone is intentionally trying to put us together to see what'll happen. Fucking fan-fiction."

Pierce and Phillipe

Phillipe: "How's business for the Saints?"Pierce: "Got nothing to say to you."Phillipe: "What's past is past. Johnny Gat is alive, and I am actually dead. Can't we at least be civil?"Pierce: "Well, I don't know, do we have another giant-ass ball we can drop on you again?"

Phillipe and Asha

Asha: "You know, I almost had you in Cairo, a year before you were killed by the Saints."Phillipe: "Please, Miss Odekar, you think I didn't know that you were in the city at that time? I find that rather insulting."Asha: "There's no way you could have known that information, my cover was flawless."Phillipe: "You never did give my people enough credit, Asha."Asha: "Like anyone working for you could have... oh, wait, Matt?!"

Phillipe and Julius

Julius: "So what did the Syndicate want with Stilwater anyway?"Phillipe: "With the increased corporate businesses in the city, it was a natural area to expand into."Julius: "You mean Ultor."Phillipe: "Indeed. My organisation had long-standing business deals with them, which made the prospect more appealing."Julius: "But the Saints ended up owning Ultor."Phillipe: "The media division, perhaps. But to think Ultor did not have other agendas is somewhat naïve, don't you think?"Julius: "Well, shit."

Phillipe and Keith

Keith David: "So you're the one I have to thank."Phillipe: "I'm not sure what you mean."Keith David: "Well if you hadn't opened that bank in Stilwater, then the Saints would have still been focused on their celebrity. Your little stunt spurred them into action, causing the chain of events that led them to the White House. Leading me to become Vice President along the way."Phillipe: "Well, that's quite a theory you have there, Monsieur David."Keith David: "I call it how I see it, so thank you."Phillipe: "You're... welcome."

Phillipe and King

Ben King: "You know, I was like you once, I thought I could take down the Saints and carry on with business as usual."Phillipe: "Is that so?"Ben King: "But if there's one thing I learned, it's that the Saints can't be stopped. I watched them take down gang after gang in Stilwater, and nothing, not even the Ultor Corporation could put them in the ground."Phillipe: "Perhaps it would have been more useful if your book warned against going toe-to-toe with the Saints instead of spouting all that propaganda about the dangers of organised crime."Ben King: "You know, that wouldn't have been a bad idea."Phillipe: "Unbelievable."

Phillipe and Matt

Matt Miller: "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Loren."Phillipe: "Please, Matt, call me Phillipe."Matt Miller: "Really? Oh, all right then. It's nice to get to talk to you on a more personal level."Phillipe: "I like that idea very much, I even have a topic for us."Matt Miller: "Oh? What might that be?"Phillipe: "Tell me what happened to Kiki and Viola."Matt Miller: "On second thought, I have enough friends."

Phillipe and Shaundi

Phillipe: "Hello again, my-"Shaundi: "Fuck off."

Phillipe and Tanya

Phillipe: "You almost remind me of my former assistants, Viola and Kiki."Tanya: "Almost?"Phillipe: "Well, they actually had a measure of intelligence"Tanya: "Fuck you."

Phillipe and Veteran Child

Veteran Child: "Hey, if you ever get back into the whole criminal thing again, I can totally get you the hookup for good product."Phillipe: "Product?"Veteran Child: "Yeah, you know, Loa Dust, high quality weed, probably some of that sweet alien shit my ex found. Just saying, I'm your man."Phillipe: "I'll, uh, keep that in mind."Veteran Child: "You don't employ any crazy dudes with Machetes do you?"

CID and Phillipe

CID: "Is it true you let the Saints believe you killed Johnny Gat?"Phillipe: "It is."CID: "In hindsight, do you see that as a wise decision?"Phillipe: "In hindsight, I would never have expanded to Stilwater in the first place."

Cyrus and Phillipe

Cyrus: "You know, if the Saints weren't pushed to the top of the list, STAG was planning to move against you and your Syndicate."Phillipe: "That would never have occurred, Monsieur Temple. Senator Hughes and I had a long standing business arrangement."Cyrus: "I don't believe you."Phillipe: "Why do you think it took my death before she let you off the leash?"Cyrus: "That was because of her precious bridge in Stilwater."Phillipe: "And who do you think paid for that bridge, Commander?"

Fun Shaundi and Phillipe

Fun Shaundi: "So, I hear you're part of the reason I turned into such a bitch."Phillipe: "I believe that you did that all on your own, little girl."Fun Shaundi: "Little girl? You seriously going with that?"Phillipe: "I have been the head of a multi-national crime organisation responsible for hundreds of highly lucrative actions all over the world. I owned businesses, buildings, government officials, and my own jet. What have you ever accomplished?"Fun Shaundi: "I helped kill you."

Kinzie and Phillipe

Kinzie: "So, why Matt Miller?"Phillipe: "Pardon me?"Kinzie: "Of all the hackers in the world you could have recruited for your little criminal fraternity, why a whiny brat like him?"Phillipe: "Oh, believe me, I had several before him, though none could match his talent and creativity with his tasks. Plus, the addition of the Deckers to the Syndicate was a strong move."Kinzie: "But he's so fucking annoying."Phillipe: "Miss Kensington, are you jealous that I did not approach you with the offer?"Kinzie: "Yes, I would have been ten times better."

Maero and Phillipe

Phillipe: "You remind me a little of a former associate of mine."Maero: "I hope for your sake that's a compliment."Phillipe: "Tell me, Monsieur Maero, have you ever considered masked wrestling?"Maero: "Well, I don't like... wait, what?"

Julius: "So what did the Syndicate want with Stilwater anyway?"Phillipe: "With the increased corporate businesses in the city, it was a natural area to expand into."Julius: "You mean Ultor."Phillipe: "Indeed. My organisation had long-standing business deals with them, which made the prospect more appealing."Julius: "But the Saints ended up owning Ultor."Phillipe: "The media division, perhaps. But to think Ultor did not have other agendas is somewhat naïve, don't you think?"Julius: "Well, shit."

Kinzie: "So, why Matt Miller?"Phillipe: "Pardon me?"Kinzie: "Of all the hackers in the world you could have recruited for your little criminal fraternity, why a whiny brat like him?"Phillipe: "Oh, believe me, I had several before him, though none could match his talent and creativity with his tasks. Plus, the addition of the Deckers to the Syndicate was a strong move."Kinzie: "But he's so fucking annoying."Phillipe: "Miss Kensington, are you jealous that I did not approach you with the offer?"Kinzie: "Yes, I would have been ten times better."